Blacksmith exercise renews alertness

Photo By Sgt. Gun Woo Song | Lt. Col. Shane Barna and Command Sgt. Maj. Willie Singleton, the command team for 70th Brigade Support Battalion, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, discuss training with Capt. Jeffrey Teplis, from Marietta, Ga., the battalion operations officer, during a field training exercise March 10 near Yeoncheon, South Korea. The battalion level exercise took place March 3-12 to help Soldiers practice their field craft skills.  

YEONCHEON, 26, SOUTH KOREA

03.10.2014

Story by Pfc. Gun Woo Song 

2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division

YEONCHEON, South Korea – Soldiers from 210th Field Artillery Brigade participated in a field training exercise March 3-12 near Yeoncheon, South Korea, to hone their skills in a field environment.

It is the first time that the Soldiers of 70th Brigade Support Battalion have practiced field operations as a whole battalion.

Lt. Col. Shane Barna, the battalion commander for 70th BSB, explained how the Soldiers learned to properly use cover and concealment, setup equipment and conduct convoy missions.

The realistic training helped the Soldiers refresh on their tactical skills, said Barna, an Omaha, Neb., native.

The goal is that by the end of the exercise, the Soldiers can walk away confident that they know what to do if they deploy, said 1st Sgt. Susan Floyd, from Brentwood, Md., the senior enlisted adviser for Company B.

During the training, Soldiers not only improved in their specific duty positions, but also familiarized themselves in other career fields.

“I was able to learn about what the signal company does and how their equipment works,” said Spc. Won Jun, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “It helped me integrate with the other companies within the battalion and learn their roles as we worked together.”

Jun, from Riverside, Calif., also added the training taught him to have situational awareness.

According to Capt. Jeffrey Teplis, from Marietta, Ga., the training was broken down to the squad and platoon level.

“I think this exercise will open their eyes to field craft: the complexities of moving a unit to the field, basic reactions to contact drills, nuclear, biological and chemical drills, and defensive drills,” said Teplis, the battalion operations officer. “They will experience a lot and learn a lot from this.”

The 10-day exercise provided Soldiers a chance to get hands-on experience and renew their sense of alertness.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2014
• Date Posted: 04.21.2014 00:24
• Story ID: 126766
• Location: YEONCHEON, 26, KR
• Hometown: BRENTWOOD, MD, US
• Hometown: MARIETTA, GA, US
• Hometown: OMAHA, NE, US
• Hometown: RIVERSIDE, CA, US